Greetings from the great state of Texas. I am a yalla dog who has long howled forlornly in the vast right-wing, desolate wilderness that has described the political landscape here since that dark day in 1994 that W. and Rove snatched the governorship from Ann Richards and ushered in an era of 100% state-wide Republican leadership that we continue to suffer under today.
As my friends despaired over how easily our fellow Texans were duped into supporting fools and liars like Phil Gramm, John Cornyn, Rick Perry, Dick Armey, Tom Delay, David Dewhurst, and Tom Craddick when their true motives and goals were transparent, I tried to console my friends that the old saw was operative: given enough rope, they'll hang themselves.
As the contagion spread nationally and we were faced with Republican control of all three branches of the federal government, it no longer mattered what I said. Especially after Kerry lost (when I assured them he would win--curses John Zogby ;-)). They tuned out my howl. They were inconsolable. I was obviously wrong. Only I wasn't. It just took a lot more rope than I imagined and the process was much slower than they could bear. More after the jump.
What I underestimated was this country's capacity to continue to believe the party who cried, "Wolf!" In the parable, the boy only got away with it once. But I never lost faith that the people would wake up.
Surely they would see through the arguments for the Iraq war. No? Aha, surely the lack of WMD would convince them. No? Abu Ghraib then. Huh. Guantanimo? Huh, again. And then the dam broke.
Or levees more specifically. With the man-made disaster after the natural one called Katrina, we finally saw the scales fall from people's eyes. Wonder of wonders, the traditional media was calling the administration out, and the standard defenses weren't working. People saw through. For once in a long, long while, the mood of the majority was mirroring ours.
Then came 2006 and the end of Republican hegemony in D.C. The only problem was that, ironically, the national dems either didn't see or didn't trust the shift and backed down every time the Republicans played political chicken. Timelines. FISA. Bailout.
I guess for three decades burned, twice shy, eh? "They'll use it against us in the elections, like they always do." But what if the parable, finally, after an agonizingly long wait, was indeed operative? What if Bill Foster (IL 15), Travis Childers (MS 1) and Don Cazayoux (LA 6)weather the chorus of "Wolf!" in Republican-leaning districts, no less?
And this year, without a compliant and cowed traditional media, the cries of, "Wolf!" suddenly sputtered into ridiculousness.
"Obama's is the "Other."
crickets
"He's the most liberal Senator."
slightly louder crickets
"He's a closet Muslim."
larger, louder crickets
"He consorts with unrepentant terrorists."
Texas-sized crickets
"He a socialist!"
noticeably agitated Texas-sized crickets
"Come on, He's not like us real Americans. He's a liberal, commie, terrorist loving, Muslim, socialist.
Angry mammoth crickets who've had just about enough
How else to explain the anecdotes captured in diaries on this very site that show that even people who might be inclined to believe the smears, or are racist, are so mad at the Republican, they still are going to vote for Obama?
How else to explain the blow back on Michelle Bachman and Robin Hayes? Not only is the parable operative, it has teeth and bites back. Just like the wolf that devoured the lying little boy.
If smears not only don't work, but turn voters the other way, the Republicans are lost. They have nothing else.
So just as I did in every election since 1994, I will contribute, volunteer, make phone calls, drive people to the polls. It's just that this year I will finally have lots of company.
I offer this not in the "I told you so," spirit. I am as shocked as anyone else at the flung crap boomeranging onto the flingers. The realization just gave me a little perspective, and I offer this in the humble hope that it might inspire the same in others.